The Nautical History of Baffling

Hello,

I’m always expanding my etymology reference shelf and I have finally begun reading “Word Perfect” by Susie Dent, a guide to one word history per day. I already know some of them, but it’s an entertaining read and I really appreciate the inclusion of an index which makes it much more useful to me.

I was amused to find that baffling has a nautical link as that makes it one I missed when writing “Words the Sea Gave Us”. Captain James Cook left a large legacy to world geography through his various voyages of discovery and his journals provide the first use in English for a number of words he encountered on those trips in local languages – we have him to thank for tattoo and lagoon, which I mentioned in my book. Dent also mentions chocolate, cannibal, mangrove, kangaroo and others which I must investigate later.

Belaying pins on a traditional sailing ship

However, he’s also responsible for a few more home-grown expressions such as baffling which he used to describe winds that surged in various directions and made plotting a straight course very difficult. However baffle pre-dates Cook.

In 1500s Scottish to baffle somebody was to expose them to public scorn, especially if that somebody was a knight accused of perjury. One way to do this was to create an image of the rascal hanging by his heels and then subject it to the blowing of horns and shouting. It sounds rather strange to me. The Scottish word may have roots in French – bafouer (to abuse or hoodwink) thanks to the baf sound used to indicate disgust.

By the 1670s to baffle meant to frustrate your efforts by imposing obstacles (just like the tricky winds Cook encountered) and by the 1800s you could be in a state of bafflement.

Until next time happy reading, writing, and wordfooling,

Grace (@Wordfoolery)

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